New Barnes VOR-TX Rifle Loads

Ahead of the new year, Barnes Bullets announced they will introduce four new rifle loads in 2013. The new rounds are loaded cartridges, not merely bullets or other components for handloading, and are in the company’s VOR-TX line.

The new loads include:

22-250 Remington: 50 grain TSX bullet

260 Remington: 120 grain TTSX bullet

280 Remington: 140 grain TTSX bullet

300 Weatherby: 180 grain TTSX bullet

Barnes claims “the ultimate in accuracy” and “double-diameter” expansion from the rounds in the VOR-TX line.

The TSX bullet is also known as the “Triple Shock X” bullet that is an all copper hollowpoint. The TSX is specifically designed for deep penetration and to resist fragmentations.

The TTSX bullet is the “Tipped Triple Shock X” bullet. The TTSX is an extension of the TSX line that uses a polymer tip to improve the bullet’s ballistic coefficient and long range performance.

Expanding ammunition (so-called “Dum-Dum”) is technically only forbidden for use on “human beings” by conventional forces in war time.
This means that civilian and law enforcement (police) use is still perfectly legal – unless forbidden by local laws, such as in Italy and other Countries – and is legal everywhere for hunting. Even in military use, where it would techically be forbidden, Special Forces, which operate outside of many conventions (and as a matter of fact they are “unconventional forces” and their operators are not protected by international conventions), will still use it. Reason is that an expanding bullet will bring down an opponent more quickly and with less risks of overpenetration or ricochet – which can be risky especially in Police, private security or personal defense use when it comes to open fire in urban, highly crowded areas.
If your local, state or national law allows the use of expanding ammunition for self-defense, there is no reason why that would lead to a “higher penalty” – unless of course it is used improperly, in an act of illegal aggression (a criminal assault) rather than in a typical legitimate self-defense situation.